Spirits of the Lion
by Anya Catalyn
Summary: Four girls are destined to protect Simba. But when Mufasa dies and Simba runs away, its up to them to help Simba remember his own fate.
1. The Birth

With the rising of the sun on the East African horizon, animals of all kinds lifted their heads as a morning wind brought news of great importance. The scent in the sweet breeze had shifted and these mammals knew what had come. Each one rose from their den, immediately setting out to the large pile of rocks where the lions dwelled. They all had anticipated this morning for a long time...  
  
In a nearby cave, four human girls were sleeping on opposite sides of each other. Ever so slowly did the sun's light creep into the dugout where they camped, planning to awaken them. Once a ray of daylight reached their faces, they sat up with yawns. It was the alarm clock that they had grown used to ever since they had come to live on the plains of Africa.   
  
Kelley Deskins had been elected as the leader in this small group and didn't mind it one bit. She was the youngest at fourteen but was sagacious beyond her age. Modest as she was, the teenager knew that she was the best to be leader out of the four. Kellie's will was strong and courageous which made the other three look to her for advice.  
  
Second in line was Fiona Berkley but had been nicknamed Foxy by her friends. This girl was sly, creative but really a wonderful person at heart. It seemed as if she were the mother to the group for she always looked out for the ones younger than she was. Foxy was nineteen years old but hardly acted her age.   
  
Next came Rachel Arrington who was by far the smartest when it came to academics. If it hadn't been for her, the four girls would have never come on this trip to study in Africa. She was kind but sometimes let her theories get the best of her. Rachel's age was eighteen and she had graduated first in her class.  
  
Last but not in the least was Mya Wysong, the most bright and cheerful person one could ever meet. Although she wasn't the best to turn to for advice, she somehow could always make someone smile. Vanessa was fifteen years old and best friends to Kelley. She had come because of her interest in animals.  
  
After a few minutes of stretching and getting dressed, Foxy strode out of the cave to look out at the plains. It was bare... No animals were roaming at all.  
  
"Kelley, better come look at this."  
  
Flipping her brown hair back and tying it in a ponytail, the fourteen-year-old stepped outside beside her older friend. Her eyes drifted from place to place, finding not one animal in sight. Suddenly, a wide grin formed upon her face and she leapt into the air. "The lion cub is born! We must go!"  
  
"But Kelley," Mya whined slightly, "We're not going to get there in time. Especially on foot."  
  
Rachel held up her index finger, "If we were to leave now, we could make it."  
  
Nodding, Foxy looked over at Kelley. "Well leader girl... What do you say about it?"  
  
"Quite delaying and come on!" Kelley was already making her way down the small hill of the cave.  
  
Mya was the second to follow her, then Foxy and last was Rachel. It was hard for them to keep up with Kelley since the girl was having an adrenaline rush and sprinting. It was easy to tell that she wanted to get to the ceremony of the lion cub. As they ran across the flat horizon, the huge stone den of the lions came into view. Already, hundreds of beasts had gathered around, anxiously waiting. A tropical bird flew overhead of them, landing in front of a proud lion on the edge of the large rock.  
  
"Pride Rock!" shouted Foxy in excitement.  
  
They continued to run as hard as they could, not even caring for the aching in their legs from it. This ceremony was extremely important to see and they weren't about to miss it. Just as the four made it to Pride Rock, a baboon called Rafiki had already climbed up to meet the king of all animals. The two embraced each other in friendship, smiling happily. The lion king, who was called Mufasa, then led the primate to his lioness mate. Sarabi, the mother and loving wife, held in her paws a baby cub. It was fast asleep in her arms as the two approached silently. With a smile, Mufasa lightly touched Sarabi's head with his own. Carefully, the lioness gave the lion cub a lick across the backside of its head, which awoke it. The cub's huge eyes looked up at Rafiki, curious as to what he was about to do. With a inaudible chant, the baboon waved his fruit shells over the head of the cub. Afterwards, he broke open a ripe African fruit and placed a small bit of the juice upon the forehead of the lion cub. Grasping dirt in his hand, Rafiki sprinkled it upon the cub's head, which caused it to sneeze.  
  
Gently picking it up in his arms, Rafiki carried the cub to the edge of Pride Rock and held it up for the whole animal kingdom to see. Animals began to celebrate the birth in their own way before bowing before them. Kelley and her friends bowed as well, for they were close friends with the lions of Pride Rock. This lasted for only a minute before Rafiki brought the lion cub back to Sarabi.   
  
Kelley regained her poise and tugged at Mya's shirt, "Let's go see the baby up close. Come on!"  
  
The other three straightened up and dusted their clothes off, following after Kelley. "Wait for us!" They shouted in unison. 


	2. New Guardians

The climb to the lion den was hard for human legs and it took them three times as long to get to the top. After completing the exhausting hike, they found that Mufasa was still outside the lair, pacing back and forth. Kelley and Mya were the first to run forward and meet the king. Ears lifted as he heard footsteps approach, Mufasa smiled to see that the human girls had come to the ceremony.  
  
"Oh, Mufasa! Your cub is so beautiful. What did you name her?" Foxy jogged up next to Mya.  
  
Rachel laughed, shaking her head, "Foxy, the cub is male."  
  
A crimson blush of embarrassment formed on Foxy's face. With a friendly smile at them, Mufasa started leading them into the cave where Sarabi had the lion prince.   
  
"We have decided to name him Simba… It was the name of my father. We chose it to honor his death from the great battle with man." Mufasa spoke softly; a growl escaped him when he spoke of his father's demise.  
  
Mya, Foxy and Rachel shifted uneasily on their feet, giving each other nervous glances. Kelley, however, clasped her hands together, speaking as if she weren't a human. "I feel terrible that mankind killed your father, King Mufasa. You know I'd do anything to change that."  
  
"What's done is done… But I know that you and your companions would never do such a thing," Mufasa looked up as they found Sarabi, "Here we are… Love, I brought the human girls to look upon our child."  
  
Sarabi lifted her head and purred, opening her arms slightly so that they could see Simba. Again, the lion cub was asleep and the liquid from the fruit has dried on his forehead. Kelley bent down beside the queen lioness and started to reach out to pet the cub but stopped herself. That wouldn't be the best approach, especially without Sarabi's permission.  
  
"Go ahead..." Sarabi told the girls.  
  
Before long, each one took turns lightly petting Simba and scratching gently behind his small ears. Mufasa's smile soon disappeared and he turned, starting to walk away. Rachel glanced up, tilting her head. "Where are you going?"  
  
"I need to speak with my brother," the lion growled, "He did not come to the ceremony."  
  
Rachel stood up, following after him; "Do you mind if I come with you?"  
  
"Of course not... But you know how edgy Scar is around humans." Mufasa said as the two started climbing down the rocks to where the jealous brother lived.  
  
The lioness and the three girls watched them disappear beyond the rocks and looked at each other.   
  
"There's something about Scar I really don't like," Mya said lowly.   
  
Sarabi smiled at Mya, cradling Simba in her arms, "You know... Simba is going to need someone to watch over him when we cannot do so. It's a tradition for a young prince or princess to have guardians watching over him or her. This keeps them safe until they are adults and then the protectors are honored when their job is done."  
  
"And you'd like us to be his defenders?" Foxy asked.  
  
Chuckling, the queen looked down at Simba, "Lion cubs are usually hard to keep track of since they are so full of energy. You four are exactly that but with some responsibility in you. Not to mention every animal in the kingdom knows and trusts you."  
  
Kelley leapt to her feet suddenly, her finger pointing to the roof of the cave. "We owe this to King Mufasa and Queen Sarabi. They protected us when we first came to Africa and found our campsite. And who was it that allowed us to study them without hesitation? It's already a great honor to be asked to protect Simba in his cubhood."  
  
"I agree with Kelley. We really do owe the lions for what they did for us. Plus, don't you think it'd be fun to baby-sit a lion cub?" Mya jumped up beside Kelley, smiling happily.  
  
Foxy raised an eyebrow. "You guys are talking to me like I objected to it! I want to do it too and I'm positive that Rachel would say the same."  
  
"Thank you... It's just as Mufasa says."  
  
Kelley looked interested. "What does King Mufasa say?"  
  
Sarabi smiled, "That everyone needs each other. The circle of life..." 


	3. Scar's Threat

Scar lay upon a rock in the shadows, pawing around with a mouse that tried desperately to escape that whole morning. There was nothing he loathed more than knowing that someday; his own nephew would rule him. This, to him, was good enough reason to skip the ceremony. He raised it by the tail and was about to place it in his mouth when Mufasa's voice thundered angrily. "Scar!"  
  
Scowling, the lion rose up and sauntered toward his brother. Scar took quick note of Rachel standing behind Mufasa and became wary. However, he put on his best sarcastic act. "Why, if it isn't my big brother descending upon high to mingle with the commoners!"   
  
"Sarabi and I didn't see you at the presentation of Simba," the mighty king snarled, glaring at his brother.   
  
Gasping, Scar turned away and extended out his claws. "That was today? Oh, I feel simply awful," his claws slid down a rock, making an earsplitting sound, "Must have slipped my mind."  
  
"Yes, well... As slippery as your mind is, as the king's brother you should have been first in line!" Rachel spoke accusingly, pointing a finger out at Scar.  
  
Scar almost laughed at the girl. "I was first in line until the little hairball was born," he growled threateningly at Rachel.  
  
Stepping forward, Mufasa chased Scar back a few steps. "That hairball is my son and your future king."  
  
"Oh, I shall have to practice my curtsy." Mufasa's brother sneered and began to walk away.  
  
Mufasa narrowed his eyes. "Don't turn your back on me, Scar."  
  
"Oh no, Mufasa... Perhaps you shouldn't turn your back on me," Chuckling, Scar kept walking.  
  
Furiously roaring, Mufasa bounded forward and cut Scar off, his face an inch from his brother's. "Is that a challenge?"  
  
"Temper, temper. I wouldn't dream of challenging you." the mangy lion rolled his eyes.  
  
Rachel crossed her arms over her chest, staying exactly where she was. "Pity. Why not?"  
  
"Well, as far as brains go, I have the lions share. But when it comes to brute strength, I'm afraid I'm at the shallow end of the gene pool." Scar continued walking away, leaving Rachel and Mufasa standing with angry glares upon their faces.  
  
Sighing, the girl placed a hand on the lion king's head, stroking it, "There's one in every family... and they always manage to ruin special occasions."  
  
Mufasa shook his head, eyes falling to the ground. "What am I going to do with him?"  
  
Rachel grinned. "He'd make a very lovely throw-rug."  
  
"Rachel!"  
  
"And just think... Whenever he gets dirty, you can take him out and beat him!" she said, smiling even more.  
  
Mufasa and Rachel laughed together, walking back to Pride Rock. Although she had cheered him up, the king was still worried about his brother. There was something different about him... Something that Mufasa feared greatly. 


End file.
